These young authors were honored Sunday at a celebration in Raleigh. They wrote on the topic, “Let’s Read,” for the Young Authors 2008 competition, sponsored by the Greater Rowan Reading Association.
My Friend
I wrote about the monkey at the zoo
And you read it.
You wrote about your trip to Peru
And I read it.
I wrote about a big, ripe strawberry.
And you read it.
You wrote about a tiny, gold fairy.
And I read it.
I wrote about when my brother made me mad.
And you read it.
You wrote about when your grandfather died and made you sad.
And I read it.
Though far away, we wrote and we read,
And came together instead.
Caroline Comer
Bostian Elementary, grade 4
Reading
I could read all day on a hot summer’s day. I would not go to sleep until the moon comes up. As the wind is blowing, my pages will still flutter like the butterflies I have been reading about. I would wake up the next morning with the book in my lap. I will go outside and sit in the swing. As I turn the pages, the knowledge pours into my mind as I learn about the birds that fly around me. Reading has made me so happy … I think with all my new knowledge; I will let my mind soar some more…
Alex Allen
Bostian Elementary, grade 5
I Am
I am a Harry Potter fan.
I hear the magic in my ears.
I will not back down for what’s right,
I am a Harry Potter fan.
I can spend hours reading a book.
I know how to listen to wind.
I dream of dreams filled with magic,
I have the knowledge to know anything I need to know.
I am a Harry Potter fan.
I love reading about magic.
I get lost in books I can’t even understand.
I see magic blowing in the wind.
I can comprehend books like this.
I am a Harry Potter fan.
Addie Gantt
Faith Elementary, grade 5
The Love of Friendship
My favorite reading and writing experience is with my friends and family members. I love to read and make up adventure stories with my very best friend, Ashleigh. Together we have an awesome imagination, and we can write some crazy and scary stories.
Some stories are boring to read, but ours are not. They are full of action, laughter, and some even have monsters is them. It is like jumping into the story and you become the people you write about. When she comes to stay with me for the weekend, we go out to our playhouse and write stories and then let the other person read them. It is a lot of fun. We make up stories that have our classmates in them.
We also like to let our friends write with us. One writes a section, then the next one continues they story the way they want, and then the next person does the same thing. After we are all done, we read it and laugh. I read out stories to my family and they enjoy them, too.
Everyone has their own favorite books to read. I like the ones written in friendship that are full of dreams, hopes, and some fears. We are all different in many ways, but everyone enjoys an adventure, action, or ghost story. So, I have to say that the favorite books I have ever read or written would be the ones me and my friends and family write together because the adventures never end. You never know what to expect next. It is the enjoyment of our imaginations together that make reading and writing our own stories the best stories of all.
Courtney D. Beaver
Hanford Dole Elementary, grade 5
Reading Adventures
Books are adventures
written down.
Sometimes they make you
sad and frown.
You can climb up a
mountain, dive through
the sea, or be a movie star
on T.V. Now how exciting
would that be?
Reading makes you
think great thoughts.
So read some books …
lots and lots! Reading
can take you there.
Books can take you
anywhere.
Cameron Wilson
Bostian Elementary grade 5
Spiderwick
I really enjoy the Spiderwick Series by Tony DiTerlizzi. The fantasy in these books interests me. The plots are so fascinating that it makes me want to read more.
The fantasy in the books is amazing. There is a lot in the book “Lucinda’s Secret.” I love the part about the sprites and their berries. The sprites’ berries are addicting and when people eat one they can only eat the berries, because if they eat anything else it won’t have taste. Later on, Mallory meets a unicorn, and the unicorn looks like a goat with a horn. More fantasy happens when Mallory’s forehead gets touched by the unicorn’s horn and makes her have a vision. When Jared grabbed Mallory, he had the same vision she was having. The other creatures are cool, too, such as the troll and the phooka. It adds to the fantasy.
I like all the plots because they are particularly unique in every way. The books have creatures, such as the phooka, that are not in any other books. I also like the details that go along with them. I love the part in “The Ironwood Tree” when Jared and Simon try to save their old sister, Mallory. That is why I love reading these books.
These books are fun to read and are very interesting. When I read one, I always want to read the next. You can get lost in the world of Fairy, a place in the books. I think everybody should read Spiderwick.
Abigail Shaw Hockett
Isenberg Elementary, grade 5
Reading and Writing
Reading and writing are two powerful things.
When I read I travel on a great expedition,
It is inspiring.
When I write I am inventing,
It is inspiring.
Reading and writing are truly amazing.
When I read I go to my own world,
It is inspiring.
When I write I speak my heart on paper,
It is inspiring.
And when I put them together I make a sensation that is truly inspiring.
Madeline Ann Labovitz
Know Middle School, grade 6
My Inspiration for Better Writing
The author who inspired me in better writing is Shel Silverstein. He wrote the books: “Falling Up,” “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” “A Light in the Attic” and “The Giving Tree.” His books inspire me because of the way he writes poems. They make you feel like you are there.
I like Shel Silverstein because he writes funny things in his poems. In one poem, he talked about tripping and falling up! He went up over everything and when he got back he threw down. He has a good imagination. He can think of things in a way no one has thought of before.
Even though he is an adult, Shel Silverstein looks at things through the eyes of a child. He finds humor in everyday things. He even finds humor at swimming pools. In this one poem, a little boy slides his foot on the diving board to see if it’s too slick. He jumps on it to see if it’s bouncy enough. He does everything but dive.
After I read some of Shel Silverstein’s poems, I decided to write this little limerick:
There once was a dog-named Spot.
Who stuck his head in a pot.
He’s wagging his tail,
But still in the pail,
And wishing he were not.
Now you know why Shel Silverstein inspires me. He might inspire you; you’ll just have to see.
Joseph Mowery
Knox Middle School, grade 6
Our Diaries
Dearest Anne,
Time has passed so quickly. I apologize for not writing sooner. You have been tucked in my heart for many years. Even our names are the same! Diaries are such private things. Reading yours made me start my own. Guess what? I still keep a diary, though not every day.
I first read your journal at the age of 13. Many decades have passed, but the treasure of your thoughts has stayed with me. Like you, I loved movie stars and dreamed of either being one or at least meeting one. My secret crushes on boys probably were just like yours. Adults just got on my nerves, too!
Yet, my early years of self-absorption were completely exposed after I read your diary. My hair, clothes, friends consumed my thoughts. The fear of being caught by the Nazis must have consumed you. How did you manage? Reading your diary brought my selfishness out in the open. You would eventually suffer greatly; lose your family and even life itself.
You taught me so much. When the trivial seems to conquer my life, I do try to remember you. I must grasp and hold on to the special people and times in my life. Thank you for inspiring me to write and chronicle my days too.
Also, thank you for helping a young teen see that there was another world outside her door.
Your friend forever,
Anne
Anne Goodman
Forever Young
Reading Specialist
Landis Elementary School